Sauergluten with Red Cabbage

Sometimes I want a stronger, more flavorful meal than the children like, or will even try, and this SAUERGLUTEN WITH RED CABBAGE scared them into eating ramen noodle soup with their friends last night. Initially stung, I soothed my wounds with the pleasing thought “All the more for me!”

My inspiration was a recipe in Brother Ron Pickarski's Friendly Foods cookbook. I had every intention of following it to the letter, until it came to the part where I was supposed to let it marinate for twenty-four hours. I wanted it for dinner, so that wasn't going to work for me. Also, I had already planned ahead by roasting my seasoned gluten the day before, so that was about as forward thinking as I wanted to be.

I also changed some ingredients a bit and decided to add the red cabbage right in with the gluten, instead of serving it braised on the side. Between the cabbage and the red wine, the dish had a distinct purplish cast, leading my eldest son to dub it Purple Gluten. The braten part of sauerbraten means roast, so I could just name it sauerbraten, but I wouldn't want anyone to get mixed up.

He also referred to a pickling spice in his recipe, which I had no idea about, so I looked it up in my Fannie Farmer cookbook. I used my coffee/spice grinder to grind up the whole spices and added in the ones I had that were already ground. I made more than I needed and used some in the soysage I also made last night, and I still have some for some other dish later on.

Here are the pickling spices I used: about a teaspoon each of coriander, mustard seed, cinnamon, bay leaves, allspice, dill seed, ginger, cloves, and peppercorns. I suppose you could leave them whole and fish them out later, but at the time I was still thinking I had to cater to the sensibilities of the younger set.

Ingredients to Have on Hand

 

One batch of roast gluten
Enough mashed potatoes and salad or greens
Pickling spices — ground or whole
1 tsp each — coriander, mustard seed, cinnamon, bay leaves, allspice, dill seed, ginger, cloves, peppercorns

Marinade
2 Tblsp. — olive oil
1 — large chopped onion
2 — medium chopped carrots
4 cups — chopped red cabbage
5 — minced garlic cloves
2 Tblsp. — molasses
1 Tblsp. — rice syrup or other sweetener
2 cups — red wine
2 cups — water
1/3 cup — apple cider vinegar
3 Tblsp. — tamari
6-oz can — tomato paste
The above pickling spices

Sour Cream

1 box —Morinu tofu
1 1/2 Tblsp. — apple cider vinegar

 

Method

To make SAUERGLUTEN, roast a batch of gluten beforehand. I made a double batch and used two-thirds of it, so you could probably just make a single batch. See my recipe for roast gluten, or seitan, as it is also called.

Saute in two tablespoons of olive oil one large chopped onion, two medium chopped carrots, four cups (one small) chopped red cabbage, and, eventually, five minced garlic cloves and the pickling spices.

After this all cooks for about five minutes or when it has reduced in size and gotten limp, add in two tablespoons of molasses, one tablespoon of rice syrup (or whatever sweetener you prefer), two cups of some red wine you aren't that fond of, two cups water, a third cup of apple cider vinegar, three tablespoons of tamari, and a six-ounce can of tomato paste.

While that is all simmering, cut up the roast gluten into approximately one-inch-sized chunks and throw them in with the sauce. Let this all marinate together for as long as you can. I suppose it might sink in better overnight. I just let it sit on the back of the stove while I pressure cooked and mashed some potatoes.

Blend one Morinu silken tofu with a tablespoon-and-a-half of apple cider vinegar to make a sour cream. Stir in the sour cream with the marinade. That is as far as I went, serving it with mashed potatoes and some lettuce, although greens would have been good. Brother Ron wanted me to thicken it more with some kind of a roux, but that's why he's a chef, and this is just home cooking.